Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yolisette’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yolisette’, characterized by its uniform, outwardly spreading and compact plant habit; strong and very freely branching growth habit; small dark green glossy foliage; uniform and freely flowering habit; early flowering seven-week response time; small daisy-type inflorescences that are about 2.75 cm in diameter; bright yellow-colored ray florets and darker yellow-colored disc florets; good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for more than four weeks in an interior environment.

BACKKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yolisette’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. and Salinas, Calif. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new compact pottedChrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production withuniform plant growth habit, good vigor, small inflorescences withdesirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, andgood postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inMay, 1997, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedlingselection identified as code number YB-6767, not patented, as thefemale, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedlingselection identified as code number YB-5245, not patented, as the male,or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of thestated cross grown in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif. Theselection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit,desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, andexcellent postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in July, 1998. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yolisette has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yolisette’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yolisette’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform, outwardly spreading and compact plant habit.

2. Strong and very freely branching growth habit.

3. Small dark green glossy foliage.

4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.

5. Typically grown as a spray-type.

6. Early flowering, seven-week response time.

7. Small daisy-type inflorescences that are about 2.75 cm in diameter.

8. Bright yellow-colored ray florets and darker yellow-colored discflorets.

9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substanceand color for more than four weeks in an interior environment.

Compared to plants of the female parent selection, plants of the newChrysanthemum have a more uniform plant habit, flower about one weekearlier, and have brighter yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the maleparent selection in ray floret coloration as plants of the newChrysanthemum have yellow ray florets whereas plants of the male parentselection have light pink ray florets. In addition, plants of the newChrysanthemum flower about one week earlier than plants of the maleparent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Yellow Cherie, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,713. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif.,plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivarYellow Cherie in the following charactertistics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plantsof the cultivar Yellow Cherie.

2. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were darker green in colorand had better longevity than leaves of plants of the cultivar YellowCherie.

3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were brighter yellowin color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yellow Cherie.

4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had better postproduction longevitythan plants of the cultivar Yellow Cherie.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum also can be compared to plants of thecultivar Yellow Chantal, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,610. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif.,plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivarYellow Chantal in the following characteristics:

1. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were brighter yellowin color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yellow Chantal.

2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were flatter and hadmore rounded apices than ray florets of plants of the cultivar YellowChantal.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had better postproduction longevitythan plants of the cultivar Yellow Chantal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Yolisette’ grown as a spray-type.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typicalinflorescences of ‘Yolisette’ grown as a spray-type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the summer inSalinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C., and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. One week after pinching, the photoinductive shortday/long night treatments were started. Plants used for this descriptionwere grown as spray-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yolisette.

Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-6767, not patented.

Male or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-5245, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum that is typicallygrown as a spray-type. Compact; stems outwardly spreading; uniformcrown. Very freely branching, about six lateral branches develop afterremoval of terminal apex (pinching); dense and full plants.

Plant height.—About 26 cm.

Plant width.—About 47 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 22 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internodelength: About 1.1 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leaves perlateral stem: About 12 to 14. Length: About 4.9 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm.Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed,sinuses between lateral lobes parallel to divergent. Texture: Upper andlower surfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent on lowersurface. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A; glossy.Young foliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B. Mature foliage, uppersurface: Close to 147A; glossy. Mature foliage, lower surface: Close to147B. Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A. Venation, lower surface:Close to 146B. Petiole length: About 1.4 cm. Petiole diameter: About 2.5mm. Petiole color: Upper surface: Close to 146B. Lower surface: Close to146B to 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk andray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Not fragrant. Typicallygrown as a spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to three weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about 45 to 49 days later when grown during the summer and about50 to 53 days later when grown during the winter.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for more than four weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—About 15 per lateral branch.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 6 mm.

Color: Close to 137A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 2.75 cm. Depth (height): About 1.1cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.3 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 80 to 90° from vertical. Aspect: Mostly flat and straight.Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Apex: Rounded to emarginate.Base: Attenuate; short corolla tube. Corolla tube length: About 2.5 mm.Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray floretsper inflorescence: About 22 arranged in one to two rows. Color: Whenopening and fully expanded, upper surface: 7A to 9A. When opening andfully expanded, lower surface: 7A to 7B.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 5 mm. Width: Apex:About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 122. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: Apex: 9A.Mid-section: Closest to 145C. Base: Closest to 155D.

Peduncles.—Length: First peduncle: About 2.5 cm. Fourth peduncle: About3.4 cm. Seventh peduncle: About 5.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Angle tovertical: About 40 to 45° from vertical. Strength: Moderately strong,flexible. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 9A. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yolisette’, as illustrated and described.